He Leaves UConn To Spend More Time With Family

It's unusual for a coach to leave a college job to become a head coach at the high school level.

Usually, the path taken is reversed.

But there have only been two head football coaches at Conard High in West Hartford: Bob McKee was the first, starting in 1957. Rob Cersosimo has been the man since 1984.

McKee and Cersosimo are grandfather and father to longtime UConn assistant coach Matt Cersosimo.

Matt Cersosimo has resigned at UConn, will finish in Storrs at the end of the week and is expected to teach physical education and health and replace his father as football coach at Conard. Matt was the starting quarterback as a junior and senior and was Class L all-state as a senior under his father at Conard.

And, the family connections don't end with football. Matt's wife, Megan, a UConn grad and the former women's lacrosse coach in Storrs, is the girls lacrosse coach at Conard.

"I'm sure you're not the only one saying, 'What the heck is he doing?'" Cersosimo said. "But when you look at it and you find out exactly what it is, you know. I wouldn't have left the University of Connecticut for any other job because of my love and affection for UConn. There is one job I would leave UConn for."

And he did.

His father has retired from teaching but has yet to officially step down from his head coaching duties, but he will do so to make way for Matt.

"Financially, it's not what I'd be making if I were at UConn, but it's a comfortable enough salary for us," said Cersosimo, who made $150,000 at UConn.

It's especially comfortable when you consider that Matt and Megan have three young children and the new job naturally allows more time with his family — and no time on the road recruiting or road games that require being away.

Matt was about to begin his eighth season at UConn, seventh as the wide receivers coach.

UConn, according to sources, will fill the void with former UConn reserve quarterback Shane Fogarty (2006), who spent the past two seasons on the staff at Fordham as tight ends coach and special teams' coordinator.

Fogarty will be the third new coach on the staff since the 2012 season ended, joining offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach T.J. Weist (Cincinnati) and running backs/special teams coordinator Kermit Buggs (Lock Haven, Penn State). Cersosimo is the second coach to leave since the season ended. Defensive coordinator Don Brown resigned and took the same position at Boston College in December.

Cersosimo was expected to coach defensive backs this season, a move, he said, that had no bearing on his decision to leave UConn.

"There's a lot of shock value in it, especially with the timing of it all, but it's just something I'm doing as a family move more than anything," Cersosimo said.

McKee and Rob Cersosimo are in the Connecticut High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame. McKee was 168-61 from 1957 to 1983. Rob Cersosimo is 182-112-3 from 1984 to 2012. That's 350 victories in the family.

Cersosimo also doubled as the Huskies recruiting coordinator. It is unclear who will replace Cersosimo there, but he is right about the timing of it all. The Huskies are in the midst of a critical recruiting period, this being an important month in how things are going for the Class of 2014.

That's not Cersosimo's problem now. He is leaving for an opportunity to continue something special with and for his family.